Can opener and closure device



D. H. DAUEL 2,495,056

CAN OPENER AND CLOSURE DEVICE Filed Jan. 22, 1947 5% r 2% 4 INVENTOR. 7 iii/if /7 2712115] ga W4 ATTU 7"NE Y Patented Jan. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE "CAN OPENER AND CLQS IJLRE DESI-113E D'etlefH. 'Dauel, Toledo, Ohio AppIicationJ -anuary'ZZ, 194W, serial' 'hlo. 723,43 '9 4 Claims. (01. 220-451) This invention relates to can openers and is thereof and-designed to grip the periphery of con.- more particutariy adapted-to operate on the type tamer 4-3;. The container is of the type used to @f rsm nly medic pa ka i package condensed or evaporated milk and the condensed: or evaporated milk for householduse. fingers are-preferably three in number which efliobject of nvention is to providewa decientl grip the can and securely hold the plate vice which pierces: two substantially diametrically against -.canjend 1 6'. spaced openings-through one end of the can and The plate It is provided with a pair of rearay re n mounted on thecon-tainer during its wantl ly extending offsets as to the fingers or outuseper-mitting discharge of. the contents or sealwardly extending from. the container. These offi eop s' w ll sets- [EB are: .sopositioned as to be substantially An additional obi ectof the-invention to proaligned and. spacedalong a-diametric'al line across vide: 'a device of the class described which not the can end It when the device is in operating onlyeffectsthe piercing of the can but-whichmay position. These offsets it provide hearings or be manually manipulated to simultaneously and mounting means for a pair of fulcrums herein completely open 'sbcth openings for free discharge 1 shown as rivets 2B mounting piercing arms 22 of the cans contents from either thereof and intermediate their length, each arm having a then to automatically completely seal both openpunch portion or piercing head 24 on the remote ings-during storage and after each pour. termini thereof. These arms 22 are mounted to Still another object of the invention is to ;pro extend toward and: overlap each other and in opvide a device of the class described which mainoration simultaneously rock on their respective tains the openings free from any accumulations fulcrum 20 and to this end one of said arms is or content coagulations which would tend to dam movided with a slot 2.6 while the other arm has the apertures and to prevent foreign matter :eno filiset :or lug 28- 'extendinginto and cooperating teringthecan during storage. with the slot. There is thus provided an interadd-itional object of the invention is toq-pro=- as looking connectionhetweenthe arms. ride means which may easily he brought .intowco- A triggerorfinger-nest 3D is mounted on one of operationwi'th the piercing armsto' augment their said- :arms and when depressed causes operation piercing force. or 'bothtarms due to-the interlocking or intercon- Other objects and advantages .of this invention nection betweenthe slot and lug. relating to the arrangement, operation and func- 30 In use, the device is placed in position relative tion of the related elements of the structure, to to the container to have the piercing heads convarious details of construction, to combinations tact the container head at two diametrically disof parts and to economics of manufacture, will he posed points. Then the device is thrust against apparent to those skilled in the art upon considthe can and the heads 24 pierce or punch two eration of the following description and appended apertures 52 in the can, simultaneously seal the claims, reference being had to the accompanying same and bring the plate ll] to rest against such drawings forming a part of this specification container end. The device is now ready for use. wherein like reference characters designate cor- As it is desired to pour the container contents responding'parts in the several views. therefrom, it is only necessary to grip the con- Referring to the drawings: tainer and press the trigger 30 which causes both Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a condensed milk apertures to be opened and the can contents can can or the like having the device of the invenfreely flow from either thereof as the other serves tion mounted thereon; as a vent.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the showing of Fig. 1; Upon completion of a pour, the trigger 30 is re- Fig. 3 is a plan view of a pierced can, with the leased and spring 34 extending between one of device removed, showing the aperture relationsaid arms 22 and the base Ill resets the parts ship; causing the punches to again seal the apertures Fig. t is a view on the line IV-IV, Fig. 2, shoW- thereby preventing contamination of the can coning the auxiliary lever or pry in position to augtents or any accumulations therein due to coagument the normal piercing operation; and lation of the contents.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation with the In instances wherein it is desired to augment parts in pouring position. the container piercing and device mounting op- Base plate ii] is herein shown as a substantially eration, pry or lever 36 is provided having lugs 38 Y-shaped sheet metal stamping having a pluralwhich may engage either arm so that the pry may W f p i fingers l2 eXtending from the legs 5 serve as a positive forcing means (Fig. 4) in aiding the initial can opening operation. This pry is so designed as to securely grip either arm on either side thereof as illustrated.

During the periodical use of the contents of the container, the pry may be hung on hook 40 which is conveniently provided as an extension of one of the fingers l2. In normal use, the thumb of a user grips this pry against the container when the container is held so there is no interference therefrom during the pour. A finger on the same hand can conveniently operate the trigger.

It is to be understood that the above detailed description of the present invention is intended to disclose an embodiment thereof to those skilled in the art, but that the invention is not to be construed as limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. The language used in the specification relating to the operation and function of the elements of the invention is employed for purposes of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims beyond the requirements of the prior art.

What is claimed and itis desired to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a base plate, spring fingers extending from said plate for engaging a container upon which the device is mounted, a pair of bearings carried by said plate, an arm intermediatel mounted by each bearing and providing a pair of piercing heads on the remote termini thereof with portions extending toward and overlapping each other, one of said arms being provided with a slot and the other arm having an offset engaging said slot, and an operating trigger carried by one of said arms.

2. In a device of the class described, a base plate, spring fingers extending from said plate for engaging a container upon which the device is mounted, a pair of bearings carried by said plate, an arm intermediately mounted by each bearing and providing a pair of piercing heads on the remote termini thereof with portions extendin toward and overlapping each other, one of said arms being provided with a slot and the other arm having an oflset engaging said slot, an operating trigger carried by one of said arms, and spring means coacting to normally urge said arms toward container piercing position.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein said spring is connected between one of said arms and the base plate.

4. In a. device of the class described, a sheet metal stamping substantially Y-shaped with a spring finger offset in one direction from the terminal of each leg thereof and adapted to grip the periphery of a container to mount and locate said plate against the container end, said stamping additionally provided with a pair of ofisets extending in the opposite direction as to the spring fingers and disposed in alignment adjacent a diameter of the container end, a pair of sheet metal stampings providing arms, each thereof intermediately and rockably mounted on one of said ofisets, said arms being configured at their remote termini to provide container piercing heads and closing means for apertures formed by the piercing operation, said arms having their portions remote from the piercing portions overlap with one thereof provided with a slot therein and the other an ofiset extending into said slot, one of said arms continuing beyond the offset and slot engagement to provide a trigger which when depressed causes both piercing heads to be raised from their container engaging positions, and spring means coacting between one of said arms and the plate to cause said heads to reengage the container and close said apertures upon release of the trigger.

DETLEF' H. DAUEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,460,418 Johnson July 3, 1923 1,468,438 Bussanich Sept. 18, 1923 1,644,939 Morgan Oct. 11, 1927 1,991,247 Hamlin Feb. 12, 1935 2,040,615 Lyon May 12, 1936 2,144,817 Sinclair Jan. 24, 1939 2,349,128 Akers May 16, 1944 

